Hunted: Ayla's Story
by Rumielf
Summary: In the time of the Galactic Empire, Ayla, trained to use the Force for healing finds herself on the run. Pursed relentlessly by bounty hunters she finds unexpected help and companionship in strange places. All OC's except for one appearance later on


_A/N and disclaimer: This story was written based on a table top RPG I was involved in that met 3 times. The 3 main characters in this story were played by myself and friends and the plot was the invention of our GM. It takes place shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star in episode IV. I own nothing about the Star Wars Universe, though sometimes I wish I did. _

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_"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystic energy field that controls my destiny." – Han Solo_

"What do you mean, 'No more room'?!"

"Just that miss. We are booked full."

Panic flowed through me and even a Jedi calming technique didn't quell it. A blaster bolt ricocheted above the pilot's head. The Bith squawked with alarm and dove the floor at my feet. I turned and bolted out of the docking bay, pausing only to make sure that the Bith pilot wasn't hurt. My ratty cloak and brown hair pillowed behind me as I dashed down the streets of the spaceport. Suddenly a man holding a blaster, the same man who fired at me moments again, appeared in front of me and took careful aim. I gathered the Force into me and leapt over him and into a crowd of other travelers. For just a moment I have the sensation of flying. Then, with a jolt, I hit the ground. A voiced called out, loud and recognizable.

"You can't run forever, Ayla!"

As I regained my footing and pulled the hood over my head I had a sudden flash of insight into the future and I knew that he was right. Even so, I kept moving, putting as much distance between him and I as possible while still trying to move with the crowd. The bag that contained all my possessions was beginning to grow heavier on my shoulder so I turned into an alley and leaned against a wall, trying to slow my breathing. For a moment, I was safe. I slid down to the dirt and set the bag beside me. Out of habit I reached for my left wrist and felt for the faded gold ribbon that was tied there. As I touched it, memories came back to me, memories of my past.

I saw my parents, happy and smiling at me. I was a normal child, and a relatively obedient one. I didn't give them much trouble when I was small. Then I watched as their expressions turned to sadness on the day that my pet, a small cat-like creature, died. They were as consoling as parents could be as I cried over my pet, held it and begged it to be well again. I didn't know at the time that I was channeling my own energy into my pet, healing it and bringing it back to life. I'd grown up hearing stories about people with strange powers to kill with a gesture. For about a year before this incident I'd noticed that I could do things that seemed similar to the stories. I could make flowers bloom with a touch and I sometimes thought I could talk to my pet. Now, my parents became horrified as my pet opened it's eyes and jumped up to move about as though it had never died.

I was exiled soon after that.

Though I was only ten at the time, my parents packed me onto a ship that agreed to take me and drop me off at their next stop. I'm not sure if they cried when they sent me away. My own memories of that day are blurred by my own tears. I'd like to think they didn't want to send me away but instead were forced to by the town we lived in. For five years I traveled from place to place, finding work on ships (though some jobs turned out worse than others) until I ended up on a dusty, out of the way planet. Work was scarce and I had no money. I found myself sleeping in an alley when a young man, not much older than me, discovered me.

Kris was like an angel to me. He turned out to be only two years older than me and was a master in the strange power that I'd been exiled for using. Through the next three years Kris taught me about the Force and the ways of the Jedi that had been hunted down and killed. He had been trained by one such Master and before his master had died he had given his memories and what powers he could to Kris. From what he taught me I learned that Kris' powers were strongest when he was protecting someone, either a whole city or just one person. I learned that I had a gift for healing and he began working with me to focus and refine that power.

My next memory that came was of me at 18, staring into the eyes of my dying teacher and friend. I couldn't even use the Force to heal him. He was holding me in check, transferring his own memories and knowledge to me. Even while I was trying to comprehend the jumble that was now crowding my mind, I realized that Kris' master and his master before him and so on had used this method to preserve their knowledge and allow each generation to make use of it.

I found myself in the house we had shared not long after that, crying and packing the few things that I wanted to keep with me of both his and mine. The last thing I put into the bag was his lightsaber that he had given me when I had completed my training. From my pocket I pulled the gold ribbon that he had used to tie his hair back with and that I had taken from his hair after he died. I tied it securely to my left wrist and then left, carrying my bag.

The next two years passed quickly as I remembered them all too well. My flight to avoid Imperials and bounty hunters was etched very clearly in my mind.

Finally the memories faded and I wiped the tears from my eyes. I opened my mind to the life around me and found the intent mind of the bounty hunter who was currently chasing me, Storm. As I realized the he was drawing close to my location I got to my feet, picked up my bag and resumed my flight. Nearby I spotted a cantina that had music coming from it whenever the door opened. I increased my pace and hurried inside. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust and I had a moment of horror as I scanned the room. There was no back door that I could see. Terrified now, I scanned the room in the faint hope that I might recognize someone as a friend from my various travels. Two minds in the room caught my attention, standing out from the others. Both were men sitting at the bar but not speaking with each other. One had the shining bright feel of a Jedi, younger than me and inexperienced but still a Jedi. The other man was dark haired and was looking in my direction with a mildly curious look.

I made my way toward the pair, not yet decided which one I was going to ask for help. Just as I reached them the door slammed open and even before I turned, I know it was Storm. Sure enough, as I finished my turn our eyes locked and he started toward me. Just as he came close enough, the dark haired man who had noticed me jumped up from his stool and kicked out at Storm's knee. I heard the kick connect but also heard the familiar thud of a flexible body armor that must have been underneath Storm's clothing. Storm was thrown off balance slightly and took a step to the right to steady himself. The dark haired man, on the other hand, winced and set his foot down gently, being careful not to put too much weight on it too soon. The bounty hunter turned to the man and when he spoke he sounded amused.

"Saragin Lucian. I've heard about you."

"Oh really? I hope it's all good."

"Ha! You are of no concern to me. Now stay out of this, she is my bounty."

"What has she done to make herself so dangerous?" Saragin asked, nodding his head toward me.

"That's for me to know," Storm replied.

Saragin stood and placed himself in front of me, blocking Storm. "She's but a child, she's not worth it."

While I felt a sudden bit of frustration at being called a child I was much more relieved and thanked the Force for sending me an ally. The feeling persisted for all of a few seconds before Storm reached behind him and pulled out the largest blaster canon I'd seen this side of Coruscant and aimed at the both of us.

"This is none of your concern, Lucian."

"When it involves an innocent it's my concern."

During this conversation I pulled out the small blaster that I kept on my person and took aim at Storm's right hand. I knew it was a long shot as the blaster had never been my best weapon but I was hoping to buy us enough time to escape. I squeezed the trigger and sure enough the shot went wide, hitting the door instead. Storm and Saragin both moved to look at me as though astonished I would even contemplate such a thing. I looked at Saragin and shrugged, putting my blaster away and instead reaching into my bag to get a grip on my lightsaber. If it came down to it, I would use it in self-defense. Suddenly an alarm went off and the patrons of the cantina began to scatter. Storm looked up and then holstered the canon. He glared at Saragin.

"Lucian, you owe me a bounty," he growled. Then he turned back to me. "As for you, don't feel too safe. I'll be back, little girl."

With that parting shot Storm left and I heard the alarm switch off. It wasn't until I felt my lungs burning that I realized I'd been holding my breath for the last exchange. I inhaled deeply and focused on the Jedi next Saragin and gently brushed his mind. Before I tell anything more about him a felt a mental barrier spring up and block me. He looked up at me and smiled. Almost as though through a haze, I felt a word enter my mind, a name: Monter. Unlike his style I sent my name in a flash, light lightning. Monter blinked in surprise and then laughed. I helped Saragin back to his seat next to Monter and as soon as he was seated the young Jedi reached over, grasped Saragin's leg above and below the kneed and pulled. There was a popping noise that caused Saragin to jump. As soon as he let go the Jedi left without a single word. I was too occupied by the waves of pain from Saragin to contemplate going after him. I managed to raise a mental shield and I then sat down next to the man who had helped me this afternoon.

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem," he replied.

I gestured to his knee. "May I? I'm a healer of sorts."

"Be my guest."

Carefully I placed my fingertips on his knee and concentrated. Saragin's eyes widened slightly in surprise but I tried to ignore him. I directed my thoughts to his pain and used one of the first techniques that Kris taught me to soothe it away. After I felt the muscles relax under my fingers I sat back up and saw him smiling at me. It was then that I noticed that he was rather handsome, if a bit scruff looking. His smile reminded me so much of Kris that sadness overwhelmed me and I felt a tear escape before I could stop it.

Saragin noticed even as I quickly turned my head to avoid his gaze. "Hey, don't cry. Here," he reached into a bag and pulled out a credit chip. "Take this. It's not much but it should be a payment toward your own ship."

Embarrassed, I wiped the tear away and mental recited to myself, _There is no emotion, there is peace_. Then I took the chip and thumbed it, noticing the balance it contained. He was right. There was enough in there to put down the first payment on a small craft. Composing myself I handed it back to him. He held it for a moment and looked at me curiously.

"I can't take this. I'm sorry."

"Hey," he put the chip into the bag then reached out and took my hand. A jolt shot through me, my senses suddenly all on alert though my face remained calm. "It's good money," he continued. "Can I ask why you won't take it?"

"Just a moment," I said, holding my excitement in check. If the tingling that was running rampant across my skin was correct, this man was sensitive to the Force. When my calm, returned I took a deep breath and then responded to his question. "I have made several personal enemies in my travels and I've found they have an easier time tracking me if I have my own craft. If I switch ships and travel with crews it's harder for them to follow."

"How do you know that?"

I shrugged. "I tried it once. They tracked me faster than a womp rat on Tatooine. I got away but after that I made sure to stay hidden in other crews."

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. His tone of voice made me curious and gently I reached out with the Force and brushed his surface thoughts. It took me a minute to make sense of his emotions and the one that came through first was attraction…toward me. I moved past that and found an eagerness to leave this planet, preferably with me in tow, and soon before the authorities responded to the alarm earlier.

Blinking, I separated myself from Saragin's emotions and realized that he was still holding my hand but the pressure had increase until he was squeezing it tightly. As I pulled back from his mind completely his hand relaxed. He didn't seem to notice that he had been holding my hand in such a tight grip. But it did confirm my earlier thought. He was indeed Force-sensitive, maybe even capable of learning to use it. After looking at me for a moment more he spoke up.

"Would you allow me to take you somewhere?"

I smiled at him. "Certainly, but I don't have much to offer."

"We'll think of something."


End file.
